That's Just Family, I Guess
by The Awesome Frost Ninja
Summary: After a fight, Ezra and Kanan aren't speaking to each other. But when a mission goes wrong, Ezra is the one caught in the middle. The crew are placed in a position where they realise how much he truly means to them. {ONE-SHOT}


**A/N: Hey guys. Not sure if you guys know/and or remember me, but I wrote 'The Wonder of Illness.'**

 **So here is a new story that I randomly thought up and felt that it needed to be written. Space family feels.**

 **Whilst I'm not a massive fan on shipping as a whole, there's slightly implied Kanan x Hera (Kanera), I tried to keep it as canon as possible because from a perspective of someone who doesn't ship things often, Kanera is totally spacemarried.** **And I would just like to note that I'm pretty neutral on Sabine x Ezra, so how you decide to interpret it in this story is up to you guys, but for this story in particular I wanted a family feel, so it is more of a sibling connection between the two, but hey, like I said, it's up to you. :)**

 **Please Enjoy!**

* * *

"So it should be a simple op. Infiltrate, destroy the cargo, and go." Kanan finished explaining. He had gathered the info on the cargo that the empire had been planning on transporting. It was just the regular weapon cargo transport. Just another way to mess with the Empire.

"Zeb. You, Sabine, and Ezra will go through the upper levels and destroy the weapons. The trooper rotation should have only a few troops around the place. I'll draw out the attention of the other troopers still on duty and buy some time. Any questions?"

They all shook their heads, except Ezra. He kept his arms folded and a frown plastered on his face. But most importantly, he was silent the entire time. No remarks, no questions, no anything. No one was surprised, they all knew why.

"Ok, everyone prep for an op. We leave in a hour."

Chopper stopped projecting the layout of the base and beeped something incoherent. Ezra was first out the door and headed straight back into his living quarters. Kanan watched, first looking saddened, but he then stubbornly shook his head and frowned, making his way into the cockpit.

Zeb and Sabine shared a glance. Chopper beeped a few times making a comment. Sabine understood what he had said, and she could only agree.

"You got that right."

Chopper had roughly said that it was still tense between Kanan and Ezra. No one disagreed.

"Alright. I've given them some time, but it's time to end this." Hera grumbled to herself. She had hoped that at least Kanan could sort this one out, but he and his padawan were just as stubborn as each other. Hera sighed. "Zeb, can you check on Ezra?"

Zeb was obviously surprised at the sudden notion. "Me?"

Hera nodded. Zeb grumbled under his breath, but he left to do what Hera had asked.

The tension was high between the master and padawan. It was obviously not their normal interactions with one another to barely speak, or even look at each other. They had been tense with each other ever since Kanan dragged Ezra out for some Jedi training. That was almost two days ago.

* * *

Kanan groaned as he leaned back in his seat. Kanan had tried speaking to Ezra only once since their fight. Ezra refused to speak to him and Kanan shrugged it off. He convinced himself that they both needed time to cool down. After the fight they had, they definitely needed it. He remembered the fight so clearly.

 _ **Two days earlier...**_

 _It was rare occasion whenever they were able to have a lazy day. The day could've gone well, but fate had other plans._ _Ezra was in a bad mood and with Ezra being Ezra he didn't say why. They all had noticed that he seemed distant that day._

 _Kanan decided not to push. Kanan came to the assumption that it was just an off day for the boy. When Kanan was Ezra's age he had those random days where he would have mood swings (not that he would admit it). Kanan felt that some fresh air and training would do him some good. Ezra grumbled against the idea, but in the end he was dragged out of his room by Zeb under Kanan's request._

 _Kanan had to admit that it wasn't going as well as he hoped._

 _"You're missing the target."_ _Kanan pointed to the black stormtrooper helmet as he stated the obvious. Kanan stopped shooting at Ezra as the boy groaned and deactivated his lightsaber._

 _Ezra groaned, "Do we really need to do this today?" Ezra pulled off his helmet._ _Kanan had to admit that Ezra seemed a bit more off his game, but he ignored it._

 _"Yes. Now resume position."_

 _Ezra reactivated his lightsaber. They tried again once more, but the result was still the same. If anything the second time around was somehow worse._

 _Kanan stopped shooting and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ezra, you need to-"_

 _"Focus?" Ezra cut him off. Ezra deactivated his lightsaber once more, but this time in a silent protest, Ezra clipped his lightsaber back unto his belt holster. "I am trying."_

 _Kanan opened his mouth to say something, but Ezra cut him off once again._

 _"No, wait. Let me guess. Do or do not, there is no try."_

 _Kanan blinked. "What's going on with you?"_

 _"Maybe I'm just sick of the same old phrases and routines." Ezra snapped. Kanan knew that wasn't it, but he wasn't liking Ezra's new tone either._

 _"Seriously?" Kanan stared at Ezra incredulously. "Kid, I don't know what's wrong with you today, but whatever it is you need to either spill it or get over it."_

 _That seem to set something off within Ezra. He just turned around and started walking._

 _Kanan let out a frustrated groan, "Where are you going?"_

 _"Back on the Ghost."_

 _Kanan grabbed unto Ezra's arm. "Ezra, I've had it with you. All day you've been snappy, unfocused, and you still refuse to listen." Kanan was going to continue on with his list, but Ezra aggressively pulled his arm out of Kanan's grip._

 _"And you don't think I've had it with you? I do what I can, Kanan. You expect too much. Sorry I can't be a 'perfect' Jedi."_

 _"Well maybe if you listened I wouldn't need to repeat myself all the time."_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry, **master** ,"Ezra said sarcastically whilst mockingly emphasizing the last word. Ezra snapped back. "Well maybe if you gave more instruction I would actually listen to you."_

 _"Well maybe if you, **padawan** , learnt to have some patience and listen to me properly, we wouldn't be having this issue."_

It all went down hill very quickly from there. It went from snapping back at each other to yelling in a blink of an eye. The two of them had fought before, but nothing to that scale. Kanan's thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

"You're both still fighting?" Hera leaned against the door way.

Kanan sighed, "It's just that the kid..." He trailed off with a groan, not being able to find the right words.

"You know, that's probably the first time in a while that I've seen you and Ezra in the same room for more than a minute."

"Is that so?"

Hera crossed her arms as she rolled her eyes at Kanan's obvious sass. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

Kanan was quick to defend himself. "It's not that I want to, it's just.." He had to think of the right words. "I think we just need a little time to cool off. We both said things we probably shouldn't have said to each other. But I think that the best thing for now that we have some space, and then to talk about it."

Hera frowned. All she heard was excuses. The two were as stubborn as each other, both refused to apologize to each other even though how miserable it was making them both. Hera had enough.

"I tried to talk to Ezra earlier today. He's been really quiet. If I didn't know any better I would say that he feels guilty about something."

Kanan sighed, Ezra wasn't the only one feeling guilty. It was obvious to Kanan that there was something else going on with Ezra that day, but he didn't see that until after their fight.

"You're trying to pin this on me, aren't you?"

"No. You know that I'm not, love." Hera replied sincerely. "Whatever was said is done. You're both miserable. Please, just promise me that after this op that you and Ezra will actually talk things out. "

Kanan stared at the ground. She was right. He was the adult, and the master. He was meant to be the responsible one. What had he been doing? Despite his own frustrations and even Ezra's, he was going to have a talk with him.

Hera smirked, "Besides, if you don't I'll kick you both off my ship until you do."

Kanan couldn't help but smile at that last remark. Hera sighed as she changed the subject; voicing another worry she had.

"You really think that we should go through with this plan? It can be risky." Hera knew Kanan better than anyone in the crew. She knew for a fact that Kanan had been occupying himself with a new op from information he gathered in hopes of distracting himself from his fight with Ezra.

Kanan turned around in the chair. He knew why Hera had her doubts. He reassured her as he grinned,

"C'mon, let's be optimistic. How bad could it get?"

* * *

Kanan learned to eat his own words. Kanan dived behind a crate to shield himself from enemy fire.

"Spectre 1 to Spectre 2. We need a evac now!"

 _"I'm on it!"_ The _Ghost_ whirled around to evade enemy fire.

Kanan's information of trooper rotations had been wrong. They had been midway through their operation when the base had been crawling with troopers. He had been so sure about the information, but there had to be no doubt now that the information he found itself was a trap. Kanan tried to stun the incoming troopers with his blaster. He had taken out most of them when he contacted the others.

"Spectre 4, what is your position?"

He heard static followed by the sound of something exploding, instantly recognizing that it had to be one of Sabine's 'miracles'. Zeb finally replied, _"We've destroyed the weapons, but bucket heads are all over the place. We've had to take a detour, but we're making our way to the cargo bay for pick up now."_

"Make it fast." Kanan replied, clipping his communicator back to his belt. And just to think, the op was his idea. Kanan grunted as he continued shooting as more troopers made their way to the scene.

Meanwhile, the other three spectres had their own game of chase going on.

"This is the only root to the cargo bay." Sabine pointed to the hall down on the right as she glanced at a layout of the ship. There were too many troopers on their tail. She fiddled around with the door panel in hopes to cut them off from the troopers; they were just appearing around the corner as Sabine shut the doors just in time. She blasted the panel, frying the circuitry.

"That should hold them for a couple of minutes." Sabine ended up wrong as the three saw the troopers beginning to weld through the metal to make a path toward them. "Make that a few seconds."

They had no choice but to keep running down to the cargo bay. Sabine had already used up all her little miracles when they first went on the run. It had to be no doubt that the information they received had been a trap from the start. It was all such a big mess.

"The insurgents are getting away!" One of the troopers yelled. But suddenly, Agent Kallus arrived at the scene not with a scowl, but with a smirk. They had only made a small hole in the door. It could've been easily a gateway in a few more seconds, but Agent Kallus raised a hand to signal them to stop. The troopers knew what he planned to do as he pulled out a spherical device.

"Well let's see how fast they can run with this on their tail." He shoved the small spherical device through the hole. The troopers began evacuating and the sphere began ticking.

The three continued to run through the halls, unknown to them that the troopers were off their tails and that they left 'present'.

"Karabast!" Zeb cursed. "It's like they were expecting us."

Ezra silently nodded in agreement. It was safe to say that the op was a bust. Sabine rushed to the panels to open the two doors in their path. As the doors opened they witnessed Kanan just a few feet away from the door finishing off the last few troopers as the _Ghost_ zoomed in hastily.

"C'mon lets get out of here! They'll be more bucket heads any minute now!" Kanan ordered as the _Ghost_ came closer to the ground.

Zeb and Sabine were semi running out as Ezra didn't move and stared down the hall.

Sabine was the first to notice that Ezra wasn't behind them. "Ezra, what are you doing? C'mon!" Zeb and Sabine stopped midway in the hall.

"Don't you think it's a little strange that the troopers haven't caught up yet?" Ezra eyed the empty hall suspiciously. Why was it suddenly so quiet? Why didn't they send more troops to the cargo bay after knowing Kanan was there? Something was up.

Kanan groaned and ran into the hall. They didn't have time for this."Everyone get to the _Ghost_. Now!" Kanan sternly repeated.

Zeb and Sabine almost jumped. Kanan sounded mad. Ezra ignored him and took a few more steps back where they had came from. Kanan saw Sabine and Zeb starting to move, but Ezra still wasn't.

Kanan groaned under his breath, "And he wonders why I say that he doesn't listen." Kanan then called out to him. "Ezra, c'mon!"

Ezra wasn't listening to Kanan's words, it was something else. He could hear something faintly, but it was very distinct. Jedi sense or not, he could tell that it meant trouble. He focused on the sound.

 _Tick...Tick...Tick...Tick..Tick._

Realisation hit him in an instant and his eyes widened.

"It's a bomb!" Ezra yelled.

Before the others had a chance to react, Ezra bet them to it. Ezra let instinct take over as he used all his strength and bond with the force to push Kanan, Zeb and Sabine out into the open area of the cargo bay. He immediately turned his attention and focus to shut the first and second door with the force as he remained in the moderate gap between the two of them.

It was only maybe a second after Ezra had shoved the others into the cargo bay that they all heard a sound like a thunderclap.

Ezra was powerful with the force, but there was only so much he could contain in such little time, and the explosion was too powerful for the doors to take. The fiery mass within moments blew the first door right off it's hinges as it took most of the fiery impact, but it still wasn't enough to stop the rest of the blast. The strength of the blast's ricochet sent Ezra flying.

It happened in the span of just a few seconds, but he could feel as if it had gone all in slow motion. He felt himself being blown back, then his body and head slammed into the second door. He only registered a massive wave of pain, and then there was nothing but the comforting veil of the drowning darkness as it lulled him into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kanan immediately gasped after witnessing what had just happened for himself. The sound of grinding metal was followed by something tumbling, but it was the silence that followed that made Kanan truly realise what Ezra had done. Ezra had looked around for a solution to protect them and he found one, albeit not a smart one. The sudden yells from Zeb and Sabine calling out to Ezra made Kanan move faster than anyone would've thought possible.

 _What was he thinking!?_ Kanan's mind was racing but he did know one thing; he had to get Ezra out of there.

He didn't spare another moment as he instantly drove his lightsaber through the door and began carving a hole. He ignored the bombardment of questions that Hera kept blasting through the communicator. Kanan finished making the hole and crawled inside. Kanan coughed at the smoke that filled the area around him.

"Do you see him?" Zeb yelled from the hole as Sabine tried to poke her head to see. It was unknown to the three of them that Hera had landed the _Ghost_.

Kanan didn't reply back to Zeb's question as he became preoccupied with something he could vaguely see. Kanan squinted his eyes at something a few feet away. It took a moment to realise that is was an unmistakable tuft of blue hair from a figure under a few pieces of scrap metal debris.

"Ezra!" Kanan didn't care that he had very lightly burnt his the tips of his fingers as he pushed the leftover burning hot debris off the boy. Ezra was unconscious. His clothes were singed at the ends and he had a few burns across his hands and face.

Kanan patted the side of his cheek. "Ezra. Hey, wake up." There was no response. Kanan was only comforted by the fact that through the force he could sense that Ezra was alive. But he needed physical reassurance. Kanan checked Ezra's pulse. His heartbeat was quiet and slow; he was alive but barely. Kanan then felt something luke-warm on his hand supporting Ezra's head. His eyes widened at the sight. It was blood. Kanan gently turned Ezra's head. There was a gash behind his head.

"Incoming bucket heads!" Yelled Sabine as she evaded fire and started shooting at the incoming soldiers. Kanan scooped Ezra into his arms hastily yet carefully, and passed him to Zeb through the hole.

"Get him back on the _Ghost_ , Sabine and I will cover you!" Kanan had to admit that he didn't want to let Ezra out of his arms, but Zeb was quicker and Kanan could provide a better cover. Zeb didn't say anything more as he rushed the injured boy to the ship. Hera was waiting beside it, shooting at the incoming stormtroopers.

She saw Ezra and immediately gasped, "What happened?" Zeb didn't have time to answer as more enemy fire came their way. She covered Zeb as they both rushed into the _Ghost_. "Get him to the medbay!" She ordered as she rushed back to the pilot seat and took back over from Chopper as Kanan and Sabine ran into the ship.

"Hera, get us out of here!"

She didn't need any encouragement from Kanan as she shut the hanger doors and rushed away before any more troopers could come their way. Before any TIE fighters could chase them, Hera made the jump for hyperspace. As soon as the comforting safety of the colour blue whirled around the ship, Hera rushed her way to the medbay.

Kanan did what he could, but Hera had a higher knowledge of how to treat injuries. They all looked to Hera as she walked in. Hera saw Ezra and immediately had a determined look in her eyes.

"What happened?" Hera took over from Kanan.

Kanan replied. "A bomb. He saved us." He stared down at his padawan with a pained look.

Hera ordered, "Everyone clear out."

Zeb was the first to interject, "Wait, why!?"

It was followed by Sabine, "But Hera-"

Hera cut off Sabine's sentence. "That's an order." It wasn't that she was trying to be mean, it was because to treat Ezra she needed the space and couldn't do it with everyone hovering around him.

Reluctantly, both Sabine and Zeb cleared out. The two of them were clearly not happy with the demand. One person was left standing.

"That includes you too, Kanan."

Kanan blinked at Hera as he stubbornly replied, "Hera, I'm not leaving him."

Hera put a hand on Kanan's shoulder. "I'll let you back in once I've checked over him, alright?" Kanan took one last look at Ezra before being pushed out the door by Hera.

* * *

They were all gathered in the common room. The silence was tense with their worry for Ezra. Zeb sat in with his arms folded with a scowl on his face. Sabine impatiently strummed his fingers against the table. Even Chopper stayed quiet. Kanan on the other hand, he couldn't sit still. Kanan paced back and forth. His eyes were lost in thought and it looked like his frown was permanently plastered on his face. With every moment without news it began driving them all mad, especially Kanan.

It seemed like a whole rotation had passed when Hera finally emerged from the medbay. Zeb and Sabine immediately stood from their seats. Kanan looked at her with pleading eyes. Hera's expression was almost unreadable, but Kanan could tell that it wasn't good.

"Well...is he...?" Zeb couldn't finish his question.

"He's alive." Hera reassured.

They crew collectively sighed in relief, but the relief was short lived as Hera's expression hardened.

"Hera?" Sabine tensed back up. There was more news.

"His head injury is what worries me. He needed some stitches. I've bandaged it up, but we won't know the whole extent of the injury unless he wakes."

"But he will wake up, right?" Zeb asked.

"It's hard to say." Hera replied honestly. It brought her no pleasure to bring the news.

"We should take him to a medical droid." Sabine suggested.

Hera shook her head. "I already contacted a trustworthy one that works under Fulcrum. It told me to apply some bacta on his wounds, but other than that there's nothing more they would be able to do." Hera bit her lip. "And that in the next couple of days if he doesn't wake up-"

"He won't wake up at all." Kanan finished. It was the first time he had spoken up at the news.

"There's no way of telling for sure," Hera spoke seriously, but she also tried to stay optimistic. "All we can do for now is wait."

They all piled into the medbay. Sabine loudly gasped at the sight. Ezra looked lifeless. The bandages around his head, arms, and legs didn't help the illusion. He was terrifyingly pale. The only thing that gave them any comfort was that the heart monitor beeped steadily.

To all their surprise, Kanan suddenly walked out without a word.

"Kanan?" Hera blinked at the door he vanished from. After a few moments Hera went after him. There would've been silence if it weren't for the heart monitor continuously beeping.

 _Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep._

"I-uh...need a minute." Zeb stuttered then left the room.

Sabine understood and let him be. Chopper made a sound that was similar to a sorrowful whine. Even Chopper couldn't stand the sight.

"I don't like it either." Sabine patted the top of Chopper's head. Ezra was always full of life, but that aspect of him looked like it was stripped away, leaving him bare.

She wandered over to Ezra's bedside. Seeing Ezra like that almost tore straight through her heart. Sabine grabbed Ezra's hand, she held it in hers. Not that she would ever admit it, but she had a soft spot for the kid. It wasn't the kind of soft spot that Ezra had for her, but there was something they could both agree on; they were family.

The crew of the _Ghost_ had been like a family before Ezra popped up in their lives, but he made it feel more, in a word, wholesome. She didn't know if she was the only one that noticed, but they smiled more, and laughed more. Despite the troubles that all of them endure, Ezra somehow made everyone more lively. Sabine gently squeezed his hand.

"Wake up soon, ok? You're making everyone worry." Sabine uttered under her breath.

* * *

Zeb stood in his room, well, it wasn't just his room, it was Ezra's too. Zeb wanted to punch a wall, but more importantly, he wanted to destroy the people that left the bomb. Zeb groaned at himself. What was Ezra thinking? What could've possibly been going through his mind when he did that?

He sighed. Zeb couldn't help, but feel like he had cheated himself. He couldn't see Ezra like that anymore. He may have not been the first to walk out of the medbay, but it didn't mean that he still didn't feel so useless. Wait. Since when did he care for the kid?-ok, who was he kidding? Now was definitely not that time for that. He was ripped from his train of thought as he heard a knock on the door.

"Zeb?" Sabine walked in the room. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine." Zeb frowned looking away. _Great_ , He thought. _Now I'm getting Sabine worried._

Sabine took a few steps past Zeb. She stared at the moment she 'immortalized' when Chopper had pranked the two. Her hand traced over the painting.

"Seems like just yesterday, doesn't it?" She smiled at her work, but more of the memory of it.

Zeb remembered that day, putting the bickering aside, him and Ezra did both steal a TIE fighter, and that had been thrilling. He thought back to how he and Ezra didn't start out on the best of terms, and Chopper didn't exactly make it any easier. But the kid grew on him fairly quickly. Zeb had family once, but the Empire wiped them out along with most of Lasan. All of his people were scattered across the galaxy. So it was only natural that he kept his new family close, even if he didn't say or show it. It was always something that went by unsaid.

He glanced at Ezra's bunk. He had complained many times how he wished to have his room all to himself again, but he didn't want it, not anymore. The kid was like the little brother he never asked for, but it's the one he got. Zeb would do anything to protect his family on the _Ghost_. He just wished that Ezra hadn't been so reckless. Being reckless and rash was his job.

"He'll be alright." Sabine reassured.

Zeb glanced over to Ezra's helmet collection in the corner of the room. A smile couldn't help but appear on the lasat's face. The kid was tough, he would pull through.

"I know."

* * *

Hera found Kanan in the pilot cockpit. Kanan sat in his chair staring out at the blue haze which was hyperspace. Hera silently sat in her chair across from Kanan. She silently waited until he was ready to say something. It was just silence between the two before Kanan finally broke the silence.

"This is my fault." Kanan stated aloud.

"You know that it's not-"

"No, it is." Kanan turned in his chair to face Hera. "The information turned out to be a trap. I was convinced that it wasn't and now look at what this has brought us."

"They had us all fooled, Kanan. Not just you. They fooled the motion scanners and even Sabine when she was scouting out for the troopers. If there's anyone to blame, it would be the Empire."

"But maybe if I talked to him before all this then he wouldn't have been so reckless. And-"

"You know he probably would've done it anyway. He's more like you than you think."

Kanan looked away from her comforting gaze. Kanan's gaze returned back out to the blue of hyperspace. He knew that no words could comfort him and no words could erase what had happened to Ezra. He suddenly sighed before straightening up in his chair.

"Enough of my brooding. What about you? How are you taking all of this?"

Hera blinked at him. That was a good question, but not one that she had a straight answer for. In all honesty, she was keeping up a strong act. Seeing Ezra so battered made her heart shatter and her blood boil. She wasn't the kind of Twi'lek that wanted revenge, but if she ever found out who had set that bomb there, the Empire would never find them again.

Ever since they first met, Hera was the first to like Ezra. She was very fond of the boy. She was more than pleased when he agreed to be a part of the crew. As far as Hera was concerned, Ezra was family. He was the youngest member as well. She cared for him and was protective of him like everyone else was. She instantly remembered all the times that Ezra asked to learn how to pilot the _Ghost_ from her. She promised him that she would one day, but now he might not get the chance...-no. She had too much hope to think like that.

Hera's face morphed into a hopeful smile. "I'm not too worried. I know he'll wake up."

"How can you be so sure?" Kanan stared at her with sad eyes. Even Kanan wasn't sure about Ezra's fate, but perhaps his emotions were clouding his judgement, he couldn't tell.

"Because," She began. "He's just as stubborn as his master." Hera gave him a small smile.

Kanan tried to return the smile. Hera was so supportive and strong, and she always knew what to say. He was glad to have her in his life. But this time her words of comfort held no ease for Kanan.

* * *

A whole excruciating day passed and Ezra remained unresponsive. Hera removed the heart monitor, Ezra was recovering but he still didn't wake had been one instant where he began twitching, but despite the excitement and encouragement from everyone in the room he returned to his lax state.

They all barely slept. They took it in turns sitting by his bedside. They had a chair placed on Ezra's right. Kanan was the only one to not move at all. He remained seated on a chair to Ezra's left.

To while away at the hours, Zeb and Hera would talk to Ezra. Zeb would even make a few jokes as if he and Ezra were having a conversation. Hera would try bargaining so he would wake up. Hera would say that he could fly the _Ghost_ if he woke up.

Chopper was kept busy with ship diagnostics, but they could all tell he was worried, despite how the droid tried to act like he wasn't.

Whenever Sabine wasn't in the medbay she was trying to keep herself busy. Sabine would draw in her sketch book or fix up some more of her 'miracles'.

Kanan sat by in his chair watching over Ezra. He never once left his side once he pulled the chair next to Ezra's bedside. He was quiet for most of the time. It invoked concern from the others, but they let Kanan be.

Another day went by agonizingly slow. Everyone else left to at least attempt to get some rest. Before Hera was going to retire for the night she peeked into the medbay to see that Kanan still hadn't budged.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Staying up for days isn't going to help him, love."

Kanan eyes slowly blinked toward her. He shrugged, "Someone ought to keep an eye out on him during the night."

"That's what you said yesterday."

Kanan shrugged once more, "Well it's true."

"Have you even slept at all?"

Kanan nodded, "I have, but barely."

Hera sighed. "Alright. Please at least get a little bit of rest. If he wakes up, you know where to find me." Hera left the medbay.

Kanan stared down at Ezra. How could he possibly rest when his padawan was like this? How could he rest with the guilt of knowing that he had fought with the very same padawan whom had saved his and the others lives? Kanan couldn't rest, not until Ezra was alright. Not until he could see his smile again. Not until he could hear his laugh again.

Ezra was important to him, that was an obvious fact. Ezra was his student; his padawan learner. But Ezra wasn't just that, he also became a reason. A reason to mean something once more. Kanan knew that he cared for Ezra more than a student.

He wasn't blind; he knew that he and Ezra didn't have the typical relationship of a master and apprentice. They formed a connection which was in a way, stronger.

When Kanan first built a strong bond with Ezra, Kanan had to admit that he grew concerned. The Jedi temple discouraged attachment, he had been taught that almost his whole life. But he was also taught that he needed to be honest with himself. He couldn't deny how he felt about Hera, and he couldn't change how he viewed Ezra. To Kanan there was nothing wrong with having attachments. As longs as he controlled and calmed his own emotions. But with Ezra laying in the medical bay, Kanan's emotions were too wild to tame.

Kanan wasn't a father, he didn't know what it was like to have a child. But deep down he imagined that it would be how he cared about Ezra. It wasn't that he was comparing himself to the real deal. Kanan never once dared to compare himself to Ezra's real father, and nor did he have any intention of replacing him.

But the boy did remind Kanan of the part of himself that he kept buried. Kanan had tried to erase who he was for years. Changed his name, and abandoned his training to survive after Order 66. When he met Hera and joined her on the _Ghost_ he began to change. But it wasn't until Ezra came along that he embraced his past in order to teach Ezra of his powers; to teach him the ways of the force. Kanan had lost so much in his life, he wasn't ready to lose Ezra.

Kanan softly brushed a few hairs away from to boy's face. Kanan pushed the hairs over his head bandage like a simple caress. His hand lingered on Ezra's head. An overwhelming feeling of protectiveness washed over him. He failed to protect Ezra, but he was determined to stop it from it happening again.

"The fight we had was...dumb," Kanan whispered. "We're going to have to talk about when you wake up, but just so you know, I did have a feeling that something was wrong but I didn't act on it. And I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I'm sorry, Ezra." Kanan sighed.

It was a moment later that Kanan felt something through the force. It was vague, but it felt like a soothing breeze whirled around him, he knew that it meant comfort. Kanan couldn't help but have a surprised smile on his face. Even when he was unconscious Ezra could sense Kanan's distress, and tried to comfort him without even realising. Their bond was strong, that was a fact, but neither of them realised how strong.

"Just wake up soon." Kanan mumbled. He continued to watch over Ezra. Kanan intended to shut his eyes only for a moment, and if he hadn't he wouldn't have missed Ezra's hand beginning to twitch.

* * *

Kanan suddenly jolted up awake with a hitched breath. It was as if something jolted him awake. Hope welled up in his chest. He immediately looked down at his student, but Ezra looked the same. There was no change. He let out a deep sigh.

"Still no change?" Hera asked, walking into the medbay with two cups of spiran caf. She passed one to Kanan. He muttered a quiet 'thank you' as Zeb, Sabine and Chopper made their way into the medbay.

"Nothing different since yesterday." Kanan informed.

Zeb groaned. "He should've waken up by now!"

"He will, Zeb. We just need to have faith."Hera replied, but the tone in her voice told them that even she was beginning to lose hope. They got tense knowing the difference in Hera's voice. Chopper whined in impatience. It was his way of saying that he wanted Ezra to awake sooner rather than later.

"The kid's tough. He'll wake up, Chop," Sabine's determination melted into a frown and his mumbled, "He has to."

Kanan let out another deep sigh. "How long do you plan on sleeping, kid?" It was intended just to be outloud thought, he didn't expect a reply, but a reply was what he got.

"Not much longer." If there hadn't been silence in the room at that one moment they wouldn't have heard it.

Both Hera and Kanan almost dropped their cups of caf on the floor in shock. Sabine and Zeb immediately smiled. They looked down to see a vibrant blue eyes staring back at them.

"Hey." Ezra weakly greeted with a delicate smile. After that it was all a cluttered mess of an instant reaction. After the rushed moment was over, it ended up with everyone crowded around Ezra and Hera and Kanan's cups of spiran caf being thrown half way across the room whilst Chopper beeped almost menacingly with joy.

Hera immediately asked, "How are you feeling?"

Ezra quietly joked, "Like a building blew up in my face." The others let out both sighs of relief and groans. Only Ezra would joke about his near death experience.

Hera checked him over. "Other than the cuts and burns, it looks like you have a minor concussion. But you'll live." She smiled.

A punch on the shoulder was a form of affection from both her and Zeb towards Ezra, but she wasn't about to punch him while he just woke up and injured, so instead, Sabine extremely lightly tapped his shoulder with her fist. "You scared us all to death, Ezra."

"Sorry." Ezra replied sincerely. Suddenly he looked like he was drifting back into sleep.

"Hey," Zeb gently shook his shoulder, "Don't go back to sleep yet. You just woke up." Zeb had a rough voice, but it had never been gentler than in that moment.

"Okay." Ezra kept his eyes open, fighting the compulsion to sleep.

Chopper not-so gently jabbed Ezra with his mechanical arm and started buzzing and beeping whilst spinning his head at Ezra. He didn't understand a word the droid was saying, but he grew worried as Hera and Sabine chuckled.

"Calm down, Chopper. What is he saying?"

Sabine gave him the brief version. "He's lecturing you."

* * *

They all spoke to Ezra for a while, but Kanan sat in silence. When Ezra became more lucid, he asked,

"How long was out for?" The crew all looked at each other.

Sabine hesitantly answered, "About three days."

"What!?" Ezra yelled. "I had a feeling that I was out for a while, but three days? Wow."

Sabine sat on the spare space on the bunk beside the bunk and playfully slung an arm around Ezra. "And that is why, you owe us big time Ezra Bridger."

"She's right." Zeb smirked with a chuckle. Hera laughed as Ezra frowned.

"I'm looking forward to it." His sarcasm was thick in Ezra's voice.

Suddenly Ezra glanced at Kanan and suddenly turned his head to Hera and asked, "Would you mind if I talk to Kanan alone for a minute?"

Kanan was surprised. The others looked unsure for a second a left the medbay. Hera smiled, patting Kanan's shoulder before she walked out. Ezra waited until the door shut before sighing. Before Kanan could say anything Ezra bet him to it.

"I'm sorry too," Ezra didn't look him in the eyes and he explained what he was talking about. "About our dumb fight."

Kanan blinked, but he then remembered his little speech the previous night. "You heard me?"

Ezra turned his face towards Kanan and nodded, "Mostly. At least I think so." Ezra face contorted in thought. "It's hard to explain but last night it was like I was awake but I didn't have the strength to wake up until now."

Kanan sat back on the chair and he then reassured, "You're awake now and that's what matters."

"I didn't mean all those things I said." Ezra steered the conversation back to the problem. "I was angry, not at you, but I took it out on you. That's my fault. I'm sorry."

Kanan leaned slightly forwards in his chair, subconsciously getting closer to Ezra. "I think we can agree is what's done is done. I'm just mad that it took you getting caught in a blast from a bomb for me to see that sooner," Kanan frowned, "On that note, you are to never do that again!"

Ezra took Kanan's tone as a joking one, so he let out a frail huff of laughter and joked, "I already got the lecture from Chopper."

"I'm serious," Kanan replied sternly. "That's an order, Ezra. You could've died. You just got lucky this time." It wasn't that Kanan was angry or upset with Ezra, and Ezra knew that, it was something else. Fear? Ezra couldn't tell.

"I can't do that." Ezra looked away. "It's better that I'm just hurt rather than everyone else."

"Ezra-"

"I'm serious too," Ezra snapped looking him back straight in the eyes. "You know I'm right. Zeb and Sabine were only part way out so in best case scenario they would've been alright, but you were as close as I was. If things were different, it could've been you lying in here, or worse."

Kanan crossed his arms, "I would rather it be me lying the medbay right now than you."

Something in Ezra snapped. "Why do you always have this insistence in protecting me, but never even think twice about yourself? I am not just some kid you need to keep an eye on! I can take care of myself!"

"And yet, you're the one in the medbay." Kanan remarked. Ezra grew silent and looked away. It was more out of exhaustion than defeat. Ezra didn't have enough energy to keep it up an argument for long. Kanan knew that the conversations tone was all too familiar to their fight, but he wouldn't allow it to repeat once more, not this time.

Kanan let out a deep breath and began, "Ezra, you are more important than you realise. And I know that you're not just some kid that I need to keep an eye on. But I'll still worry anyway because despite everything you're still just a kid. And what kind of master would I be if I let my padawan go running toward his death? It's as your master that I'll do everything I can to protect you even if that means my life."

Kanan suddenly had brief flashes of his own master, Depa Billaba, and how she protected him. He continued, "And it's not just that. You are a part of this crew, this family. We look out for each other and protect each other. I'll admit that at times that I don't set the best example for you, but just don't forget that you're not alone, not ever again. So you don't need to shoulder everything on your own. "

Ezra blinked at Kanan. He was speechless. It took a good moment before Ezra sank back into the medbay bunk and just nodded. He didn't argue back.

Kanan also connected another puzzle piece to another. "I also sense that sudden outburst has to do as to what was wrong with you from when we last fought." Ezra was silent. "C'mon, don't leave me hanging here. You can tell me." Kanan placed his firm hand on Ezra's shoulder.

A somewhat guilty expression appeared on Ezra's face. He finally admitted it what he had kept hidden.

"On the day of our fight, it was the anniversary from when my parents were taken by the Empire."

Kanan's eyes slightly popped with realisation. It made a lot of sense.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" Kanan asked.

"What's there to say?" Ezra shifted uncomfortably in the bunk. "That day is just... never easy for me." Ezra confessed. Without another word being said, Kanan understood.

Ezra didn't want to have let his guard down, despite the fact that it could interfere with his Jedi training. Kanan remembered that they had a similar discussion about it on his birthday, which happened to be one of the worst days in the history of the galaxy, Empire Day. Kanan knew that Ezra didn't want to be vulnerable and seen as weak. It was a barrier that Ezra always kept up, but it was always slowly lowering, so Kanan was in no rush.

"I don't want you to feel as if you can't tell me anything."

Ezra began to raise his voice, "I know, it's not that I don't trust you, it's that I just don't want to talk about." The blankets of the bunk almost fell off of Ezra after he tried to move.

Kanan moved the blankets back over Ezra, "Take it easy." It wasn't a demand, it was more of a request with an undertone of an almost fatherly concern. "You still need to lie down and rest."

"I didn't notice." Ezra sarcastically replied, but it looked like he instantly regretted it. "Sorry."

"No, it's ok." Kanan sat back in his chair. "Ezra, next time something bothers you like that, I need you to tell me. You can't just carry that all on your own. To be a Jedi, you have to be willing to let go or at least seek other's guidance."

Ezra suddenly smirked, "I'm in the medbay injured and we're about to have a Jedi lesson, aren't we?"

Kanan couldn't help, but let out a small huff of laughter, "Maybe. But I was thinking we should probably wait until you're better."

Ezra nervously asked, "So, are we okay?" Ezra's energy was going up and down, he looked as if he was going to fall down although he was already lying down. But he kept his eyes open and remained awake, but he looked like he needed something to perk him up.

"Hmmm, I don't know," Kanan had an almost playful tone in his voice. He began ruffling Ezra's hair, making it stick in all sorts of directions without hurting the boy. "Now we're okay.

"Hey!" Ezra squirmed away from Kanan's grasp and attempted to flatten his now messed up hair, but he smiled and laughed immediately afterwards. Oh-how Kanan had missed that smile and laugh. To him it was confirmation that Ezra was alright. He was awake. He was going to be alright.

Ezra relaxed back into the medbay bunk. The two remained in a comfortable silence until Ezra suddenly had a big smile on his face.

"I don't know if I heard or dreamt it, but did Hera say I could pilot the _Phantom_ if I woke up?"

Kanan let out a dry chuckle, "I think you'd have to bring that up with her."

 _Yeah,_ Kanan thought, _the kid's going to be fine._ He shut his eyes for only a moment.

* * *

It was a good while before the others walked back into the medbay to see Ezra resting in the bunk, whilst Kanan had fell asleep on his chair with his arms folded.

As they quietly walked in, Ezra explained. "He fell asleep a few minutes ago. It looks like he hasn't slept in days so I left him to it."

"It's good that he's asleep. He's barely slept." Sabine whispered.

"Why?" Ezra didn't intend for the word to come out, but a part of him wanted to hear the answer aloud.

"Is that even a question?" Zeb rolled his eyes. "He was too worried about you."

Hera nodded and added, "He hasn't left your side the entire time, and I don't think I've seen him this relaxed in a while."

Ezra got sucked into thought. He lived alone for eight years. He could take care of himself, that much was evident. So the crew didn't need to worry, but they did anyway. If he learned anything by being on the _Ghost_ , he understood that if push came to shove they would do anything to protect each other.

He turned his head and stared at Kanan for a moment and then to the others before he smiled.

 _But that's just family, I guess._

* * *

 **A/N: Well this became a thing. Space Family is beautiful and I love them all. And yes, I do enjoy Spacedad and spaceson a lot. It has to be my favourite bond on the show.**

 **FUN FACT: The first ending I wrote involved Ezra "disappearing" from the medbay after Kanan first fell asleep. The crew freaked out and searched for him and as they're arguing it turns out that Ezra woke up a few minutes earlier than Kanan and with his concussion added to the fact he was really hungry, so he was in the kitchenette eating (space) cereal. But of course whilst it was amusing to write, I scrapped it for a fluffier ending that suited the stories tone better.**

 **Like it? Dislike it? Want to see more SWR fanfics from me? Review below, let me know! And, May the Force be with you. Always.**


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